Page 41 of Brazen

“They’re fine,” I assured her. “Remy’s crazy strong and agile. From what I’ve seen of JT’s climbing, he is, too. I don’t think those two could hurt themselves or each other.”

Clio shot me a long, inscrutable look, but all she said was, “Thanks for thinking about JT.”

“Of course. He’s great.” Time to do some fishing. “So…is his dad a part of his life?”

“No,” Clio answered immediately, closed up, then didn’t say more.

Fuck. I didn’t want to pry about her past because it was just that, in her past. I doubted she wanted to know about the females I’d been with before I met her. Except one male in her past had been a shifter, and Rob wanted me to learn about him.

I definitely didn’t want to put a wedge between us when her walls were so firmly in place. I was slowly, so very, very slowly, making a dent in her no-strings rule. Or I hoped. Still, I had to obey my alpha’s word.

What would a human want to know about the situation?

“I hope he at least pays child support.”

Cleo took in a breath and held it. Then slowly let it out. “He doesn’t know about JT. He was one of the drivers on the IndyCar team I worked on.”

An IndyCar driver. That tracked. High risk jobs were a great fit for shifters. He would survive a majority of car crashes, and it would allow him to be fearless with his racing. Same reason I was fearless riding a bucking bronc. Sure, I could break my neck as my mother always wailed, but barring that, there wasn’t much danger to any of the other injuries I sustained.

An IndyCar driver probably made good money. I wanted to ask why she hadn’t at least gone after child support, but I’d already pried too much for the moment. I returned to safer territory.

“How did you get into the racing industry?”

“I was born into it. My dad worked IndyCar pit crews my entire life. He made me a screw and nail board just like JT’s when I was four. Then I moved up to helping bring tools and parts while he worked on the racecars before a race. I even had a little chair I sat in during races in the pit. Then, when I was ten, I started helping in the pit myself.”

“So you’ve got motor oil in your blood.”

I laughed. “Sure do. I worked with him on a crew until he retired to Costa Rica before JT was born.”

That also tracked. “Impressive.”

She tilted her head to meet my eyes for a moment. “How so?”

“You do what you love. What your father handed down to you, you’re handing down to JT. You seem like someone who has lived and breathed your job. Like it’s a part of who you are.”

She smiled, and to my complete fucking surprise, her fingers tangled with mine on the bench between our legs where the kids couldn’t see. It was such a small gesture, but from her it felt huge. I somehow had put a crack into one of her walls.

“It seems like working with the animals is the same for you. Ernie says you’re a big rodeo star.”

I shrugged. “Boyd Wolf is the big rodeo star around here. He was pretty much my mentor on the circuit, and I won a bunch of championships, but not like he did. I won enough purses to help out my mother with her house. She lives up the road a piece.” I tipped my chin toward the east.

“Remy!” Wes’s voice boomed from up the hill. “Time to go.”

Clio and I turned at the sound.

“That’s Wes. My boss and Remy’s dad. He was in a meeting with Rob Wolf who owns the ranch with his brothers. His office is up in the house.”

Remy ran past us, her little legs pumping. “Bye, Sam! Bye, JT’s mom!”

Clio smiled at me. “Guess it’s time to go.”

I stood, tugged her up, and didn’t let go of her hand. She frowned.

“Come on, I’ll drive you both home. But…” I yanked her so that her chest bumped mine. “I’ll be by later. Then we can play a grownup kind of fort.”

15

CLIO